loaded vegan chili fries

Guilt-free indulgence

I am SO excited to share loaded vegan chili fries with you. This decadent, plant-based, oil free recipe indulges you in every way without any guilt. I’m even willing to admit that it’s so good we had it 2 days in a row and we were bummed when it was over.

Chilling out

If you tried out my soy strips with satay sauce, then you might be aware that I’ve been doing a bit of recipe exploration using dehydrated and pressed soy strips, crumbles and ‘steaks’. Chili is just meant for soy crumbles. They are so easy to prepare and darned tasty in chili. That said, you can easily substitute 2 cans of black or kidney beans and still have delicious chili.

Where do you find soy crumbles?

Soy crumbles are easy to find in many countries. We have them at our local veggie shop in The Netherlands. That said, if you are in the US, you can find soy curls (Butler Foods). These don’t come as ‘crumbles’, but that’s easy to reckon with. After you re-hydrate them, allow them to cool and then cut (or tear them into small pieces. Job done.

If you happen to run across dehydrated soy, just be sure it’s non-GMO and contains no added ingredients. Just the soy beans please.

So many chili recipes, so little time

I know, there are a million chili recipes out there – everyone has their fav (or several). Me too! When I set out to create loaded vegan chili fries, I first considered the various plates that needed to be juggled. Chili – fries, toppings (a lot of toppings) and vegan sour cream. I wanted a chili that could be cooked in short order.

Special ingredient

My special ingredient here is Henderson’s relish which is a special vegan Worcestershire sauce originating in Sheffield UK. If you’ve never tried this, it’s worth the effort to get as it has tons of uses. You can order this from Amazon or Walmart. Don’t pass this recipe up if you can’t get it – I’ll give you options. just be on the lookout in case you run across it.

Chili FRIES

Of course, you gotta have fries. And let’s just have a quick word about potatoes – they deserve our respect. It seems to me that too many folks disavow potatoes because they are ‘unhealthy’ without realizing that it isn’t the potato. Potatoes are plenty health. Don’t let the hype fool you.

It’s all about the preparation, man

Healthy versus unhealthy potatoes is all in the cooking. Dousing spuds in oil and tons of salt is not the way forward folks. And who needs it when you can have wonderful crisp chips by taking just a few extra steps? After some trial and error, I know how to make perfect oil free chips. The secret is a 10-minute simmer (par-boil) and a cool down. Cut them how you like and bake them in 15-20. I’ll be honest, we eat a lot of chips around here, so we simmer up bunches of potatoes, throw them in the fridge and use them throughout the week. It’s just the way we roll.

Let’s get loaded

Another way we compromise our potatoes is smothering them in all sorts of unhealthy ingredients. Don’t need that either. Indulgence doesn’t require that. Loaded vegan chili fries are smothered in our quick-cooking chili and then let’s load them up with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos and vegan sour cream. Let your taste buds be your guide. Your base of chili and fries is solid. What you bring to the party can be all your own.

Final thoughts

Indulgence – satisfying, gratifying, fulfilling. Isn’t that what eating should be all about? I used to equate indulgence with doing something naughty, but it isn’t. It’s about treating yourself well without compromise, without complication. We should all be doing that every day. Go for it. Peace.

Instructions

Timing tip: We’ll do a bit of a dance here. Start the soy crumbles and potatoes at the same time. You’ll be taking the potatoes off first (10 minutes) and while they cool, you can prepare the chili. While the potatoes bake, you can prep all the fixings.

Wash and scrub the potatoes (peel if desired). Place them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the pot to boil and then low a bit to a high simmer. Par-boil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Immediately remove the potatoes, drain them and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Put the potatoes in the fridge (or freezer) to cool further.

Add the soy crumbles (if using black beans, this is the time to add them). Stir and lower the heat while you prepare and bake the fries.

Preheat the oven to 4240F (2200C).

Cut the cooled potatoes into fries and place on a non-stick baking try (or line with parchment paper). You can toss a pinch of salt over the fries if desired.

Place the fries in the oven on second to top rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then toss the fries over and bake for another 5-10 minutes until they are browned.

Prepare all your toppings while the fries bake.

On separate plates, start with a base of fries, smother on chili and add desired toppings (or put those on the table so people can choose their own).

Now, go indulge yourself!

Notes

I mentioned using black beans as a substitute for soy crumbles, you can also use red kidney beans or other vegan crumbles. Be sure to read labels that you are not using ingredients with added oil or other additives.

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About me

Hi everyone. I'm Denise and I’m on a whole food, plant-based journey - another music in a different kitchen. I want to share everything I'm learning starting with uncomplicated and uncompromised recipes. Let's eat!More about me...

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